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Man in spat blockades county road

Two Colorado State patrol vehicles were called to the scene at Rapid Creek Road after a dump truck, left, and another truck blocked the county road Wednesday morning. Quarry owner Rudy Fontanari was warned by deputies against blocking the road again.

Rudy Fontanari, in gray coat, who blocked the road with a dump truck and another truck, talks with state patrolmen and other neighbors who were affected by the blocked road.

A disagreement over perceived illegal mining of rocks off Rapid Creek Road prompted a man Wednesday morning to block the road with a dump truck and pickup truck before reportedly claiming it was his road, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.

Brant Harrison, owner of Kokopelli Produce, 860 Rapid Creek Road, said he was on his way home just before 7:30 a.m. when he came across a roadblock put up by Rudy Fontanari near the bottom of the road and called authorities.

Deputy Mark Johnson said the roadblock was in response to an ongoing issue: Fontanari, who has a quarry on Rapid Creek Road, claims Harrison is illegally mining off that road.

Harrison said he has dug up large rocks on his property through the years for agricultural development and to construct a house but is not mining.

“We are not trying to break the law,” Harrison said.

Vehicles with Accurate Construction and Excavation have been on the road in recent days removing rocks off Harrison’s property because he doesn’t want them.

Harrison said he did not sell the rocks.

Johnson said he told Fontanari that Rapid Creek Road isn’t a private road but is maintained by Mesa County. Fontanari was warned about blocking the road again, Johnson added.

A phone call to Fontanari at Western Slope Flagstone was not returned by Wednesday evening.